6 minute read
THE POWER OF PLAYFULNESS
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AUGUST
The Power of Playfulness
by Marlaina Donato
BACK-TO-SCHOOL WELLNESS TIPS
Plus: Shamanism Today Boost Happiness & Well-Being Benefits of Having a Life Coach
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Mirth has been a memory for most of us this past year; something that we need now more than ever. White-knuckle survival and transition can drain neurotransmitters, those chemical messengers vital for strong immunity and good mental health. Taking a vacation from seriousness just might be what the doctor ordered.
As kids, we rarely turned down an opportunity to roll in the grass, laugh ourselves into bellyaches or catch a wave of spontaneous fun. With the advent of adulthood, pouring a drink or going on a shopping spree often becomes a knee-jerk relaxation strategy, leaving the option for nourishing play in the distant past.
Recent research shows what kids and kittens already know: Snippets of playtime are good for the soul and provide benefits like reduced depression, stronger emotional resilience and higher productivity on the job. A study by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, in Germany, published last year in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being suggests that even serious, poker-faced humans can train themselves to be more playful.
Postponing levity accomplishes nothing and doesn’t solve today’s problems, yet we may find it almost impossible to grab downtime without guilt gnawing away at our joy. Try making a to-do list that is solely dedicated to pure, inner-child-approved, illogical fun. Some activities to consider penciling into the calendar: n Roll around the floor with the dog or play hide-and-go-seek with the kids. n Host an adult sleepover; stay up late watching a scary movie or one made for a younger audience. n Make ink blots with watercolors or play with air-dry clay or easy-to-make salt dough. n Grab some crayons and adult-designed coloring books. n Blow bubbles in the backyard or during a morning shower. n Go out for low- or sugar-free ice cream or gluten-free pizza. n Fly a kite or find shapes and faces in passing clouds. n Roll in the leaves or down a grassy hill with that special someone. n Bounce a ball during work breaks. n Belt out karaoke songs and delight in being off-key. n Play charades or a favorite childhood game. n Have a staring contest.
Having some fun doesn’t break the bank, and the only requirement is to check self-consciousness at the door. “Wasting” time is being free, and that is worth its weight in gold.
Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer of healing and inspiring music. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.
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Structural Integration and the Yoga Connection
by Ed Hemberger
Structural Integration (SI) is a system of soft tissue manipulation and movement education, and affects the body’s posture and alignment by manipulating the myofascial, or connective tissue, system. It’s been shown to promote improvement in balance, flexibility, total range of motion, and a general sense of well-being.
Similarly, yoga focuses on lengthening, balancing, strengthening, and flexibility through poses or postures, each offering specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement, or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. In attaining and maintaining certain postures, yoga helps to relieve stress and, like Rolfing, promote an overall sense of well-being.
It’s no surprise, then, that Dr. Ida Rolf, the developer of Structural Integration, was influenced by hatha yoga. She researched and practiced it to alleviate her own back pain from scoliosis, and that practice contributed to the evolution of her bodywork principles. She aligned her vision of SI with the goals of yoga in enriching body, mind and spirit through an understanding of the importance of structural balance.
Many who do yoga now reach out to SI to improve performance in their practice. Since SI eases movement, it makes doing yoga that much easier. SI can also help to regain flexibility that is lost due to age or inactivity. Its influence on alignment and posture will also help those hoping to achieve more advanced yoga poses.
Combining SI and yoga leads to an even more enhanced sense of well-being and reduces everyday stress, leading to higher levels of happiness. Yoga and SI are twin paths to alignment, a synergistic method of relaxation that allows
practitioners to achieve better body awareness. The pairing offers increased flexibility and coordination, improved posture and alignment, and much-soughtafter relief from chronic pain and tension.
SI works primarily in two ways, with hands-on manipulation and movement education. It physically changes the body’s structure and energetically improves movement and function. Yoga and SI both work subtly with energy inside and outside the body.
Let’s look at the breath, and how SI works with energy. Sometimes stress makes us short of breath, so we breathe more tensely. By guiding the breath throughout the body, SI can potentially help relieve tension and increase energy levels.
The most common objectives that guide people to SI and yoga are: » to gain relief from chronic or acute tension or pain » to increase flexibility or coordination » to improve posture and alignment » to learn to relax and obtain more body awareness » to offset deleterious effects of aging » to release emotional blocks stored in the body » to have more energy and stamina » to find relief from breathing difficulties
While yoga can be a way of life, SI is designed to be short term and uses a 10-session system of deep bodywork that addresses the entire body, with the option to continue as needed for maintenance. Because SI is corrective and whole body in nature, those who have received the full set of adjustments often report the correction lasts far longer than other types of bodywork. Edward Hemberger is a Certified Structural Integration specialist based on the Rolf Method. He also practices Active Release Therapy (ART), Muscle Release Therapy and Neuromuscular Therapy. For more information, contact Hemberger at 973-4623112. HembergerStructuralIntegration.com. See ad, page 6.
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